How to add web site to Compatibility View List via GPO

 

Usually, we add web site to Compatibility View List from IE windows:

Click “Tools -> Compatibility Settings” and input web site address in below windows:

 

 

It can also be applied from GPO for domain users. Here are several popular methods to achieve this task:

 

Solution 1 (Recommended as it exactly displays the result in client machine)

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If you are on Windows 2008 DC, this policy can be deployed by Group Policy Preference that is new feature in Windows 2008.

 

Group Policy Preferences: Getting Started

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731892(WS.10).aspx

 

1.    In Windows 2008 DC, open IE and add the web site to the Compability View Settings list

2.    You can verify the setting in the registry key path HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\BrowserEmulation\ClearableListData\UserFilter

3.      Open Group Policy Management Editor for Domain Policy that you want to edit.

You can open it from mmc and then Add or Remove Snap-ins

Choose Group Policy Management Editor 

4.      Choose path from either Computer configuration or User Configuration as below

5.    Computer or User Configuration->Preference->Windows Setting->Registry

6.    Right click New->Registry Wizard

7.      Select local machine and then check HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\BrowserEmulation\ClearableListData\UserFilter as below.

 

Note: If use Computer Configuration, check registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

 

 

8.    Finish the change

9.      Run gpupdate /force in DC

10.Run gpupdate /force in client machine or re-login

11.You can check the registry key value in client machine and test in IE

 

 

Solution 2(Workaround)

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Deploy from Administrative Templates via GPO. However, it does not get reflected in IE user interface, we see the sites loading in the compatibility mode by opening the developer tool bar (press F12) and checking the browser mode.

 

Also, we can verify the setting in the client machine registry. The configuration is written to registry under HKCU(HKLM)\Software\[Wow6432Node]\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\BrowserEmulation\PolicyList.

 

1.    Open Group Policy Management Editor for Domain Policy that you want to edit.

You can open it from mmc and then Add or Remove Snap-ins

Choose Group Policy Management Editor

2.    Choose path from either Computer configuration or User Configuration as below

 

Computer or User Configuration-> Policies-> Administrative Templates-> Windows Components ->Internet Explorer -> Compatibility View

 

Use Policy List of Internet Explorer 7 sites = Enabled and sites added to the list

3.    The syntax needs to be bing.com. There is no preface of http or www needed for the site and should add the second top domain.

 

4.    Run gpupdate /force in DC 

 

More Information

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IE8 determines document mode by below rules:

  

A Diagram on How IE8 Determines Document Mode

 

There are four rules that you can remember about how IE handles doctype, X-UA-Compatible meta tag and header, Developer Tools, and Compatibility View Settings. These rules follow the diagram below from top to bottom:

 

1. The Developer Tools settings override all Document Modes for pages displayed in a tab.

 

2. The X-UA-Compatible meta tag and then header override Compatibility View Settings and the doctype unless the X-UA-Compatible value is EmulateIE7 or EmulateIE8.

 

3. The user’s Compatibility View Settings override the Microsoft Compatibility View List.

 

4. If none of the above rules apply, the doctype determines whether the webpage renders in IE8 Standards, IE8 Almost Standards or Quirks Mode.

 

How IE8 Determines Document Mode

https://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2010/03/02/how-ie8-determines-document-mode.aspx

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Xiaoman Wang & Anik Shen